Isanti Soil & Water Conservation District
MPCA's Citizen Water Monitoring Program
Join more than 1,400 Minnesotans who track the health of their favorite lake or stream — become a citizen water monitor today! Citizens in every county can join the water quality movement by becoming water monitor through the MPCA’s Citizen Monitoring Programs. All equipment & training are free!
Seed Drill Rental
The Isanti SWCD rents a seed drill suitable for planting native grasses and wildflowers. Cost is $12/acre; $150 minimum within Isanti County; $250 minimum outside of Isanti County. Security deposit $161.81 at time of rental. Call Matthew Remer at 763-689-3271 to schedule.
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Serving the residents and conserving our natural resources
Our Office is Open
Our office is open to the public! We are here to help you Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. Staff may not be in the office at all times due to the outdoor nature of our work. Consider calling our office before your visit at 763-689-3271. See the Contact Us page for other ways to contact staff members.
Get to Know our newly sworn in Isanti SWCD's Supervisors
Aquatic Invasive Species 2022 Report
Read About the Actions Taken in 2022 to Prevent the Spread of AIS
Isanti County and Isanti Soil and Water Conservation District work in partnership to complete actions that will prevent and mitigate the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) and provide education and outreach to the public. We have published a report of the actions taken in 2022.
Alum Treatment Completed on Blue Lake
Alum Treatment Success on Blue Lake!
Lakeshore Event
Learn about Lakeshore Restorations on Skogman Lake
WHERE: Cambridge New Hope Community Church
Join us and learn how you can play a role in protecting the health of Skogman Lake. You will learn to better understand your shoreline, what a lakeshore restoration is, and how you can install one!
SWCDs Seek Permanent, Reliable Funding
If Minnesota wants to continue to help landowners interested in voluntary conservation projects, it needs to find an adequate and permanent funding solution for SWCDs. Our state legislators will consider a proposed solution – SWCD Aid – which would be a standing, statutory appropriation to SWCDs from the Department of Revenue. This permanent funding source would allow us to put more projects in the ground and provide a reliable source of funding for staff. If you’d like to get involved to make sure that Isanti SWCD and SWCDs across the state have adequate and permanent funding, you can contact our local elected officials!
Easement Funding Available in Isanti County
A conservation easement safeguards the natural features of a property through voluntary, legally binding, and permanent land use restrictions. In return, you would receive a one-time payment for a percentage of the land value and can feel confident you are protecting land and habitat.
The application deadline is April 1st! You can contact Lydia with the Minnesota Land Trust at 651-240-7889 or Lfermanich@mnland.org.
Ecosystem Services Market Consortium
We have made a short storyboard that will take you through the progress made on Green Lake.
The Beauty of Oxford Township Lakes
All of the footage was shot on the Oxford Township lakes!
Isanti SWCD Awarded Soil Health Grant
New Funding for Soil Health Projects!
"Conservation is for All of Us"
Kevin Schlipp and his wife have been conservation minded for years. Therefore, when they started learning about cover crops in farmer magazines and from long time practicer Dave Medvecky (part of the Isanti SWCD board), they decided to try them. Kevin has been using cover crops for two years now, and joined the Isanti SWCD Cover Crop Program last year.
Kevin uses a cover crop mix of buckwheat, crimson clover, radish, winter peas, and some soybeans. He chose his mix using the advice of Dave and the NRCS and SWCD staff. When the buckwheat is in bloom the farm is a rolling field of flowers that attracts many bees. However, Kevin’s favorite benefit of the cover crops are not the bumbling bees on his property. Instead, he has noticed “very few weeds breaking out and coming through once the cover crop has been established.” This saves him time, money and chemicals. The weed protection of cover crops encourages Kevin to keep using them, as he says, “If I can get by with using less chemicals that is a motivating factor for me.” When Kevin was asked why cover crops and conservation was important to him, he responded immediately: “Well, conservation is for all of us.” Cover crops improve soil health and water quality which benefits both the farmer and the environment.| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
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Wednesday, 19 April 2023
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For the latest happening at the Isanti SCWD, please view or download our newsletter.
2022 was a busy year for Isanti SWCD. Click here to read all about our most recent Conservation programs and priorities. We would like to send out a special thank you to all our Federal, State, and Local partners who support our mission to preserve, protect and enhance water quality, soil, and other natural resources in Isanti County. We’re already planning great things for 2023 including targeted agricultural outreach, lakeshore restorations on Green Lake and Skogman Lake, and agriculture projects in the Lower St. Croix Watershed.
One of our conservation technicians got to speak with KBEK about their work. Todd Kulaf discussed the Isanti SWCD and his conservation project at Spectacle Lake. Thank you to KBEK for talking to us! If you missed it you can listen to it here.
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View a map of all completed SWCD projects. Click on individual projects to read more about them.We have made a lot of progress towards our goal of getting Green Lake off the impaired waterbodies list! 2021 was the first of a 16-year grant program to improve the health of Green Lake. We have made a short storyboard that will take you through everything we have done on Green Lake.
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Oak wilt, caused by the non-native fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum, is responsible for killing large numbers of oak trees annually in Minnesota. Oak Wilt is most severe in red oak group species such as Northern Red Oak and Northern Pin Oak. The Isanti County Parks Department has put together this brochure as a guide for managing Oak wilt: Oak Wilt in Isanti County To learn more and see good photos of diseased trees, you can also visit the U of M Residents can call the SWCD and the Isanti County Parks Department for names of contractors who can help with trees and root trenching on your property.The Isanti SWCD rents a seed drill suitable for planting native grasses and wildflowers. Cost is $12/acre. Rental must be within 20 miles of the City of Isanti. Rental has a $150 minimum fee within Isanti County. Rental minimum outside of Isanti county is $250. A $161.81 damage deposit is required at the time of rental. For safety reasons, we ask that you don't drive over 20 mph while towing the seeder. Call Matthew Remer at 763-689-3271 to schedule.
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The Isanti SWCD can help you with conservation efforts on your property with guidance and financial assistance.We are here for your questions and to help.Enhance your property with trees that are especially suited to your property. Container, bare root and seedlings are all available through the Isanti SWCD. The Isanti SWCD tree sale is now open for all your landscaping and conservation needs.
